Yann's Series on Tennis Teen and Adult Accelerated Mastery
Episode 1: Uniqueness
TAAM: Teen and Adult Accelerated Mastery. For those who learned the game after the defining time of puberty but nevertheless reach for the same high goals.
When Callie first met me she was cut from the JV team as a freshman. By the time she graduated she was playing No. 1 singles for our varsity.
How could a player with such a late start in tennis make such a quantum leap?
It's easier to answer first by saying what we did NOT do.
We didn't force her into a cookie cutter form of generic all-around player. There wasn't time to master every aspect of the game at fifteen years old.
Instead we focused on her uniqueness as a player.
In our Teen and Adult Accelerated Mastery pedagogy, we specialize in developing older players like Callie who have passed the point of learning the game as a primary language.
But you can still master a second or third language, like I did. You just need to concentrate your efforts differently.
And regardless of whether you're looking to help your teen child or to ramp up your own game, we're here to help you set a ROADMAP TO SUCCESS.
TAAM Episode 1: Uniqueness
Embracing what makes you stand out
When you look at the pros, you find players who have playing personalities that stand out. Novak with his incredible fitness and mental fortitude, Roger with his killer forehand, and on and on.
In my experience most academies focus on an all-around tennis education. While praiseworthy it can stamp out individualism and what makes someone special.
It can also leave behind older players who will honestly never hit every shot as smooth as the pros.
But such players can still become great winners if they embrace what makes them unique and lean into that.
Callie's grip had been Western. We changed to semi-Western mainly to allow her more flexibility in her footwork.
She'd had knee surgery and needed to hit more open stance shots. The grip helped big time.
She was one of the most coachable players I've ever had, rare in how she never went back to her old ways under pressure.
She also learned to limit her exposure to her mobility and to be aggressive in points, using her serve as a weapon.
In a world of baseline sluggers, it's daunting to face the occasional serve and volleyer who puts pressure on your every stroke. Or a defensive mastermind who seems to reset every attack with a pinpoint lob.
By the teenage years, children have developed their bodies and personalities. What their best weapons can be becomes clearer.
So the first tenet of Teen and Adult Accelerated Mastery is to harness this uniqueness. Focus it to make opponents uncomfortable and funnel their attacks away from your weaknesses.
There's no need to play like any player but yourself, as you're the best version of it anyone can be.
Schedule Your ROADMAP Call Now
with Yann Auzoux, CEO of Tennis Central
If you want to reach your goals in tennis, you need a roadmap to success. Schedule your ROADMAP Call with me, Yann Auzoux, CEO of Tennis Central.
It's about what YOU want in your tennis life.
More from Yann's Series on Pre-Puberty Mastery
Episode 1: Crafting the Muscles, a musculoskeletal system specialized for tennis
Episode 2: Racquet Unity, the racquet as extension of the arm
Episode 3: Self-Awareness, winning and losing and handling both
Episode 4: The Full Arsenal, every shot for every situation
Episode 5: Social Commitments, when independence and friends arrive
Episode 6: Habits, setting and overcoming them
Episode 7: Setting Goals, belief and reality
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